2020 Abstracts

Martin, Shay; Beesley, Karissa (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: John, Cameron (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

Sex education's purpose is to facilitate healthy behaviors. Research suggests that sex education should focus on things that influence behavior among youth: life skills; self-efficacy; attitudes; beliefs; and social norms (Born, Wolvaardt, & Mcintosh, 2015). The purpose of this study is to learn where people are getting the majority of their sex education and how it is affecting these behaviors. We are still gathering data for this study. We predict the data will be skewed in Utah because of the high population of religious affiliation. We are interested to see the differences in behaviors based on sources of sex education.

Mauchley, Olivia; Kamimura, Akiko (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Kamimua, Akiko (Social and Behavioral Science, Sociology)

The purpose of this study is to examine awareness about environmental issues among undergraduate students in Utah. As climate change and environmental problems have, and continue to negatively affect the future, it is pertinent that students stay up to date and aware of these issues. Misinformation or lack of information has harmful effects to the environment and sustainability policies. College students are the next generation to formally work on these problems, and have an important role to play in climate change activism and solutions.

A self-administered paper survey was collected from undergraduate students attending social science classes at the University of Utah in September and October 2019. There were 450 total surveys collected. The results found showed that participants were more likely to agree with the following statements: "Solving environmental problems depends on actions by each and every one of us" and "Environmental problems must be solved through international co-operation." More than 40% of the participants reported environmental problems influenced their daily life a lot/very much. The top 3 serious environmental issues noted by the participants included lack of access to clean water, ocean pollution, and air pollution. The most common behavior implemented to protect the environment among the participants was to "Turn off the lights and other electronics when you leave a room." As for climate change, the participants tended to agree "Climate change will be serious in the world."

From these results we can conclude that undergraduate students are most aware of environmental problems that directly affect their daily lives and problems that receive the most attention on social media. Ultimately most undergraduate students in Utah are aware of the severity of climate change, though few seem to be focused on what they can do about it directly.

Clark, Jessica (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, Jim (Family Home and Social Sciences, Anthropology)

The Kiva was an important element to daily like in the ancient ancestral Puebloan culture. Using construction materials gathered from an excavation at a Pueblo III site in southeastern Utah, the project focuses on how the raw materials of the area were exploited for construction purposes. By examining the composition of plaster, mortar, and masonry rocks I hope to gain a more insightful understanding of how the Ancestral Puebloan people used their available resources. In addition, studying impressions on burned impressed adobe, along with charcoal samples from site, will help me to gain an understanding of the wood used for the kiva roof, as well as potentially showing how the roof of the structure held. Because indigenous people of the American Southwest have strong ties with the earth, gaining a small understanding of how their ancestors used the land is an important study.

Angell, Emma; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pamela; Price, Ashton; Gonzales, Veronica; Mattei, Dustin (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Sociology)

As part of the Dixie State University Quality of Life Initiative, the research topic proposed by the Institute for Social Research (ISR) is the social contract of burnout in society. The World Health Organization recently recognized burnout as a serious syndrome. It is also apparent that individuals in numerous workforce or school settings have dealt with it in some way. However, many do not fully understand what burnout is and how to properly deal with or treat it. What is burnout? Burnout has many definitions but the most common is that it is a condition, either physical or mental, caused by an individual being overworked or stressed. Burnout can lead to exhaustion, loss of motivation, anxiety, depression, procrastination, etc. The ISR team asks the question, "How has burnout been accepted into societies contract?" It is described as a social contract because we as members of society have implicitly agreed to accept burnout as a social norm. We will also take a look at Robert Merton's strain theory and how the pressure of society to achieve goals relates to this concept. The Institute for Social Research dives further by using data that has already been researched on burnout and has conducted a survey for students and faculty at Dixie State University. The ISR team will also take a closer look at technology and how it has affected an individual's work week.

Jensen, Samuel J. (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, James (Brigham young University, Anthropology)

The development of Portable X-ray Fluorescence (PXRF) technology has allowed researchers to accurately determine the source of obsidian lithic material. The data produced using this method in turn allow researchers to examine the social interactions of prehistoric peoples through analysis of potential spheres of trade or points of contact. Prior researchers have applied PXRF technology to the analysis of obsidian from the Mesa Verde and Northern San Juan regions of the Ancestral Puebloan world respectively. Despite this work, however, there is a conspicuous lack of data from San Juan County, Utah, which lies at the northwestern edge of the Ancestral Puebloan extent and contains a high density of archaeological sites spanning almost the entirety of Ancestral Puebloan occupation in the American Southwest. This paper aims to fill this gap in data so as to make observations about the potential spheres of interaction that existed across time in this region of the Ancestral Puebloan world. Specifically, this research compares obsidian samples from across San Juan County and from sites with different time periods of occupation to reveal potential patterns of obsidian procurement throughout temporal space in San Juan County.

McClain Verdoes, Maryellen; Ha, Jennifer (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: McClain Verdoes, Maryellen (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Psychology Department)

This research will assess whether there is a significant difference in the correlation of attention and reading levels of school aged children that have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the correlation of attention and reading levels of school aged children that do not have ASD. I will be looking at data from two populations: school aged children with ASD and school aged children without ASD. Most of the participants for this study will come from Cache County, Utah, so that limiting factor of sample demographics should be taken into account.

Considering the meager amount of research that has been done on the attention and reading achievement of children with ASD, the purpose of this poster presentation is to (1) display the methodology, data, and findings of this research project and (2) discuss any implications this may have and where to go next. Depending on the results, if they are significant, this project may be built upon and further developed to examine possible factors that may affect or lead to significant results.

The CONNERS 3 assessment was administered to evaluate the attention levels of school age children six to twelve years of age. This assessment is generally used in helping diagnose ADHD (Connors, Pitkanen, & Rzepa, 2008;Pearson, 2008). It takes into account the social, home, and school setting of the child. The GORT 5 assessment was also administered to those same subjects to assess their reading ability at the time (Wiederholt & Bryant, 2012). SPSS was used to run analyses and results were exported in tables from the program.

Hellstern, Rylan; Fauth, Elizabeth; Aller, Ty (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Fauth, Elizabeth (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Human Development and Family Studies Department); Aller, Ty (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Human Development and Family Studies Department)

Mental health literacy (MHL), defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid in recognition, management, and prevention of mental health disorders, is crucial in promoting mental health prevention rather than just intervention (Jorm et al., 1997). MHL is low among the public (Klineberg et al., 2011), varying demographically (Reavley et al., 2011), and is low in college populations (Vasquez, 2016). This is concerning, considering rates of mental health issues among students (Storrie, et al., 2010). One interesting population are students who have had mental health diagnoses and/or who receive therapy. These students may be vulnerable due to their own mental health issues, but also may have increased MHL due to experience and educative supportive services. I hypothesize that students with prior diagnoses and/or therapy will be more likely to recognize mental health issues, feel confident about helping others, and act on that confidence (high MHL). In the current study, Amazon's Mechanical Turk was used to collect MHL data from college students across the US (N=306; ages 18-25; 52.6% female; 44.8% male, 2.6% other). Nineteen percent (N=58) reported receiving therapy over the past three months, while 113 (36.9%) reported having a mental health diagnosis over their lifetime. MHL was measured via the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy Assessment Tool (MHAA-AT), assessing MHL Knowledge (subscales Identifying, Locating resources, Responding), MHL Self-efficacy, and MHL Responding behaviors. Independent samples t-tests (p<.05) indicated that students in therapy had higher average MHAA-AT Knowledge [Identifying], Self-efficacy, and Responding behaviors. Students with history of a mental health diagnosis had higher MHAA-AT Knowledge [Identifying, Locating], Self-efficacy, and Responding behaviors. In conclusion, students with history of diagnosis or in therapy may be a resource to universities, due to their higher MHL, including greater knowledge about mental health issues, confidence surrounding MHL, and the willingness to respond and refer.

Krishtof, Maryna (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Anderson, Chris (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

Violence and aggression are an unfortunate reality of modern society. It is believed that multiple factors contribute to aggression. Does boredom promote aggressive behaviors? Rubb and Vodanovich (1997) published a Boredom Proneness test and reported their usual anger and aggression levels. Results indicated that people who scored higher on BPS reported being more aggressive. Because this study was based on self-reports I believe it would be useful to examine whether this would manifest on a behavior. Also, a recent murder of Chris Lane by three teenagers was reported by Oklahoma news, teenagers murdered because they "were bored." Police officers noted that in wintertime crime changes from property theft to domestic violence. In one of the reports by the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2014, it was shown that even though the overall crime rates are going down in the United States, rises in violent crime can be noticed during wintertime. This research is intended to look at aggression and its relation to boredom. In the study, participants would be asked to fill out the boredom proneness test (BPS) and after sitting in an empty room with only two objects present, a plush toy and a toy rubber hammer. Final measurements will be an average score of people who scored low (within 28-81) on BPS test and high (82-153 and above) and the time it took participants in each group to aggressively act towards the toy or other objects in the room (chair, table, walls). I hypothesize that if people are presented with a chance, they will aggressively play with the toy presented to relieve boredom. This response can give us information on how people may act in real-life situations. The question that I hope to answer with my research is "Will boredom promote aggressive behavior?"

Rawlings, Jared; Young, Jacob (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Rawlings, Jared (University of Utah, School of Music)

School violence has emerged in the last ten years as a significant public health crisis that include behaviors ranging from bullying, hate-based language, sexual harassment, and physical assaults (Robers, Kemp, & Truman, 2013). A recent study found that almost one-third of students in grades 6-12 reported they had been victimized by peers, and 5% to 13% admitted to bullying others (Hymel & Swearer, 2015).

Researchers in music education acknowledge peer victimization and bullying is also a serious concern for music students (Elpus & Carter, 2016; Silveira & Hudson, 2015; Rawlings, 2015, 2016). Elpus and Carter (2016) examined data from the 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 datasets of the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to determine the prevalence of reported school victimization through physical, verbal, and relational aggression among US performing arts students. Elpus and Carter found that male music and theater students are at a 69% greater risk than non-arts students when experiencing face-to-face bully victimization and male music and theatre students were confronted with a 63% greater risk of being cyber bullied than non-arts participants. Therefore, if school music students may be more likely to be targets of victimization and feel unsafe at school when compared to their non-music peers, then research is needed to determine the prevalence of these behaviors and document detailed instances of this phenomenon. To date, there has been no published research examining the the prosocial and anti-social behavior development of school-based music ensemble performers.

Moore, Sydney; Lech, Kimberly; Richardson, Bianca; Jensen, Amber; Thiel, Rebecca (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Dunn, Charles (Weber State University, College of Nursing); Miles, Leslie (Brigham Young University, College of Nursing)

"The impact of child maltreatment on attachment is established in childhood" (Stronach et al., 2011), "with this effect remaining relatively stable through adulthood" and most often manifested as an anxious or avoidant attachment. (Weinfeld, Sroufe, & Egeland, 2000) (Oshri et al., 2105) Anxious individuals fear abandonment, are obsessive and desire high levels of reciprocity with others whereas avoidant individuals fear intimacy and closeness and avoid committed relationships (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). Can the quality of adult romantic relationships also known as "attachment" be determined by the type and frequency of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) or trauma those adults experienced growing up? The ACE survey consisting of 10 questions covering abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, and 17 questions from the Experiences of Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire rating participants' responses on a Lickert scale of 0-4 were used to compile the data. We propose the following hypothesis, in concordance with existing research, a higher ACE score will be an indicator of lower relationship quality/satisfaction in adulthood. Primarily through social media, the study was conducted among the student population of Weber State University and our circles of influence to explore a possible connection. This study targeted adults aged 18-70 with varying genders, backgrounds, and education levels. 344 people completed the survey. A connection can be seen between the instances of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction experienced as children and the quality of their romantic relationships as adults. The current study shows a strong negative correlation between ACE and ECR scores supporting our hypothesis. The average ACE score was 2.6 out of 10. The average ECR score 48.1 out of 68. with a significance of .000. This shows a strong negative correlation between ACE and ECR scores supporting our hypothesis.

Taylor Cline, Kent D. Hinkson Jr., Malisa M.Brooks, Craig J. Bryan (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Hinkson, Kent (University of Utah, Psychology)

Abstract:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a debilitating and exhaustive disorder that has been under official observation since the first World War and has received attention from Psychologists in both research and clinic settings. In a study by Spoormaker and Montgomery (2008), they determined that disturbed sleep in PTSD is a core feature of the disorder rather than a secondary characteristic. Spoormaker et. al (2008) also indicated that treatment for insomnia for persons with PTSD would be beneficial by offering brief sleep hygiene education, and stimulus control methods in treatment with persons who have PTSD.

This study examines the scores from Item #20 of the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5; “How much were you bothered by trouble falling or staying asleep?”, rated from 0 – 4) and compares them with the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) sum score to determine if Item #20 has a sufficiently strong relationship with respect to the ISI sum score so as to be useful in screening for insomnia in individuals with PTSD. Three hundred twenty-one (n = 321) student veterans participated in the nationwide study. Among the participants, 94.1% of those who marked “1”, “2”, “3”, or “4” on PCL-5 Item #20 met ISI criteria for insomnia, while those who endorsed “0” (“Not at all”) scored substantially below the criteria for insomnia on average. While the eight-item ISI gives more information on the nature of the sleep disturbances, Item #20 of the PCL-5 appears to do a good job at screening for those likely to meet diagnostic criteria for insomnia; this could allow clinicians and primary care staff to reduce the burden during routine mental health screenings among potentially traumatized individuals.

Smith, Josh; Sam, Lizzy (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Smith, Josh (Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Economics and Finance Department)

The relationship between immigration and crime is a perennial topic of political debate where extreme claims are often made with little empirical evidence provided. Academic research provides insights into how immigration to an area affects its crime rates. Overall, the existing research suggests that immigrants are less likely to commit crime than US citizens. The research also suggests ways that policies can be designed to account for the rare cases where immigrants are involved in crime. Specifically, the research suggests providing access to legal work opportunities.

Valencia-Garcia, Nelson Omar (undergraduate student); Coles-Ritchie, Marilee (faculty) (Westminster College)
Faculty Advisor: Coles-Ritchie, Marilee (Westminster College; School of Education, DUMKE Center for Civic Engagement)

This study contributes to the literature on the impact of service-learning on students of color by intentionally centering their experience within the critical service-learning courses. We align with critical service-learning framework that highlight "collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity" (Driscoll, 2008, p. 39). This work contrasts volunteerism or philanthropy as it aims to be grounded in reciprocity where students, faculty, and community partners work toward a common goal through sharing experiences, knowledge, networking, and resources. Historically, one of the founding principles of higher education is serving the public good often by applying academic expertise to society's needs rather than scholars being givers of receptacle knowledge. Also, research demonstrates that first-generation college students benefit from community service (Ting, 2003). Because graduation rates of low-income, first-generation, SOC continue to be lower than middle- and upper-class students, pedagogy that addresses the needs of SOC is vital, and it is crucial that instructors in institutions of higher education learn how to design service-learning that highlight their strengths.

Recently, higher education stakeholders have renewed efforts to develop more connections between the community and institutes of higher education. These efforts have included institutional mission statements that strengthen the emphasis on community engagement, promoting the legitimacy of community-engaged scholarship and developing centers for civic engagement to support faculty creation of service-learning courses. Despite this renewed effort, some aspects of the role and purpose of pedagogy in higher education are often overlooked (Berrett, 2012), especially for SOC (Boyle-Baise & Langford, 2005).

This study contributes to the literature on the impact of service-learning on SOC by intentionally centering their experience within the critical service-learning courses. This study contributes to the literature on service-learning pedagogy for SOC. Our findings demonstrate that well-designed pedagogy can enhance critical consciousness and community relationships while facilitating deep learning of the material. In contrast, the data also highlighted aspects of service-learning courses that were not culturally sustaining or effective and even harmful to SOC. These data could benefit educators in higher education with specific tools for creating meaningfully designed, critical culturally sustaining service-learning courses by connecting the SOC's strengths and demonstrating a keen awareness of their lived experiences.

O'Grady, K.A., PhD; Yirenya-Tawiah, Abena; Stewart, Mason (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: O'Grady, Kari (Brigham Young University, Nutrition Dietetics and Food Science)

In light of recent high profile cases of sexual assault on university campuses, BYU's Organizational Psychology and Societal Resilience Lab explored aspects of sexual assault at faith-based universities. The unique climate of faith-based universities provides insight into the influence of gender role stereotypes and religious expectations on women's vulnerability to sexual assault within the hook-up culture. The lab conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of 25 articles about sexual assault at university campuses, sexual assault at faith-based universities, hookup culture and the roles dating apps play in encouraging hook up culture. Themes were analyzed for their consistency, intersectionality and cross-variability. Emerging themes indicated that hookup culture reinforces masculine stereotypes and hyper-masculinity. These sterotypes are associated with higher endorsement of rape myth beliefs. The anonymity and prevalence of dating apps on college campuses creates an avenue for sexual assaults to take place. The location aware aspect of dating apps also presents the opportunity for users to find those in close proximity, thus making hook-ups more convenient. These apps give users the opportunity to present themselves in socially desirable ways. There is a stark difference between the way women at faith-based universities tend to utilize dating apps than their male counterparts.

Ashton, S. Jeramy (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Mizell, Karen (Utah Valley University, Philosophy)

In 1968, the United States of America passed the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting citizenship to all persons born in the United States. This Amendment and further enactments, policies and addendums changed the way many African American people (former slaves) were explicitly treated in regard to segregation and racial bias...or at least it should have.

In looking further into what a "belief" truly is (how they are formed, how they change), and then examining the "alief" in a similar manner, I will explain that because of society's deeply rooted aliefs, rational persuasion alone will never achieve social justice.

I will examine the history of the Civil Rights and LGBTQIA+ movements with how beliefs restricted, discriminated and then promoted change. After analyzing how beliefs have played a role in the journey of these causes, I will use modern day empirical data from court cases, and current housing and institutional discrimination cases to help others to become aware of ones subconscious biases, or aliefs.

My purpose is to help all to become aware of such biases before attempting to enact social change. As a majority fail to incorporate change, to respond to such empirical data, to be receptive to rational persuasion and make a change even when we believe that that is what we should do. It is because of the inability to adapt, to adopt such changes in permanence that aliefs are often too difficult to overcome, therefore rational persuasion alone will never achieve social justice.

Mattei, Dustin; Angell, Emma; Truman, Savanah; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pam; Gonzales, Veronica (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

This presentation analyzes burnout and how it is created and reinforced contractually within our campus at Dixie State University. This is a study from the Quality of Life Initiative who is part of the Applied Sociology. This portion of the analysis focuses on burnout among the university staff and administration. Through literary review, it has been suggested that on school campuses, regardless of level and grade, there has been in increase in burnout among school counselors, administration, and staff. Burn out itself has many symptoms and suggested sources. Symptoms range in physical, emotional, mental, and socially. These symptoms include; chronic fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, depression, anxiety, and much more. Our research suggests that some sources that create burnout in the staff are; an increase in students who also are afflicted with burnout, a lack of resources available to manage the increase in student cases, the requirement of participation within the university, and also the compounding stress in their personal lives. The independent research team has also developed a survey instrument which is in circulation. The information that is gathered through the instrument has not yet finished being recorded and consolidated. However, we expect there to be information coordinate to the information that we have found through research.

Holiday, Pamela (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology Program)

May 2019, "burnout" was recognized and defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since the term was coined in the 1970's, society has changed dramatically through the advancement of technology and with the naive notion that progress would make life easier. Today, the term burnout describes "the consequences of severe stress and high ideals," in professions. This perspective of "high ideals" and "stress" describes an individual's pursuit of success in academics, occupation, and/or lifestyle. In this regard, the societal culture determines that individuals are self-actualized when they exceed the prescribed standards of production. Studies have shown the adverse effects of technology advancements leading to isolation, mental and physical health issues, and an overall increase in stress. Contrary to WHO's new definition of burnout as an occupational phenomenon, it has been linked through several studies to non-occupational symptoms and situations during an individual's lifespan. Chronic stress is cited as a fundamental symptom of burnout - and is used as a key marker in identifying useful data for this examination. The Institute for Social Research, as part of Dixie State University's Applied Sociology program, through The Quality of Life Initiative project is exploring the question, "How has burnout been accepted into societies contract?" Using content analysis, we will identify the societal cost of burnout with the advancement of technology in a techno-reliant era and its effects on the Saint George, UT area.

Anderson, Brianna; Williams, Amanda; Collins, Lois; Hoover, Natalie Renee; Martinez, Samantha Coyne; Huang, Hui; Fernandez, Sofia; Rhoden, Michelle-Ann; Rigaud, Joseph; Kirk, Chris; Lewis, Rhonda; Nilsen, Corinne; Colvin, Deltha (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor; Diener, Marissa (College of Social and Behavioral Science, Undergraduate Studies and Family & Consumer Studies)

Each year, approximately 25,000 youth "age out" of foster care (Courtney, Piliavin, Grogn-Kaylor, & Nesmith, 2001). These foster youth often face barriers to higher education. In Utah, fewer than five percent of foster youth go to earn a college-degree (Hahnal; 2007; Dworsky, Napolitani, & Courtney, 2011). Foster youth who could pursue a bachelor's degree may not be encouraged to do so, as the adults surrounding them may underestimate their potential (Dworsky & Perez, 2010); Vacca, 2008). Despite the challenges youth in foster care face in the pursuit of higher education, many succeed and take advantage of education programs. A study reported that over 70% of foster youth aged 15 to 19 years old reported a desire to go to college, and an additional 19% reported a desire to attend graduate school (Tzawa-Hayden, 2004). The goal of the present study was to develop a better understanding of how to better support youth and address barriers in achieving higher education and to empower foster youth to have a voice in the system. The study interviewed 15 adults who were formerly in foster care, 10 foster parents, and 9 foster care stakeholders. In addition, interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded using qualitative techniques. Themes identified were strengths of foster youth, emotional impact of foster care, and foster care best practices. These data will be used to inform the University of Utah First Star program about areas for improvement in the pathway to higher education they create for their students. This research study will provide insight into the facilitators and barriers to higher education from multiple perspectives and will empower foster youth to advocate for themselves through the use of narratives of adults formerly in foster care, whose voices are often excluded from foster care research.